Toru Takenaka

The space above the 7-Eleven at Holloway Drive has a terrific view down La Cienega Boulevard to the net of lights thrown over the city after dark. I've watched this West Hollywood location morph from a cobbler restaurant into a country Korean kitchen into something else again, already forgotten. Now I notice it's become a sushi restaurant named Wa.

The space above the 7-Eleven at Holloway Drive has a terrific view down La Cienega Boulevard to the net of lights thrown over the city after dark. I've watched this West Hollywood location morph from a cobbler restaurant into a country Korean kitchen into something else again, already forgotten. Now I notice it's become a sushi restaurant named Wa.

THERE was a time when a propane torch in a restaurant kitchen meant just one thing: creme brulee. Now, Los Angeles chefs are taking the torch to all sorts of dishes. Pastry chef Jan Purdy finishes the coconut rice pudding with one at Senor Fred in Sherman Oaks. "We use the torch to get a little caramelization," she says. She also uses it toast the meringue on the lemon meringue tart at nearby Max restaurant. "You have a lot of control with the torch and it goes very fast," she explains.